The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for doffing a textile yarn winding machine, of the type disclosed in German OS 21 28 974 and U.S. Pat. No. 4,561,602. In the known method and apparatus, the yarn winding machine comprises a plurality of side-by-side winding stations, and each processing station comprises feed systems, processing apparatus and a takeup system, which are arranged in a vertical plane. Identical machine parts of adjacent processing stations, such as, for example feed systems, and takeup systems, are laterally aligned with each other.
A preferred example of a textile machine of the described type is a false twist crimping machine, which serves to crimp smooth, synthetic filament yarns, and in which each processing station comprises in particular a feed system, a heater, a cooling zone, a false twist unit, a further feed system and finally a takeup system.
In the known method and apparatus, the packages of several takeup systems superposed in a column are doffed synchronously, i.e., in a fixed cycle.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus, which enable a fixed-cycle doffing of all takeup packages of a textile machine with simple means in a time-saving and flexible fashion.
The method of doffing all takeup packages of a textile machine in a fixed cycle in accordance with the present invention is useful in particular, when a plurality of identical packages are needed having exactly the same build and the same yarn length. For example, this requirement must be met for dye yarn packages, so as to obtain for all dye packages identical dye properties, such as, for example, absorbability of the dye, rinsability or penetration properties for the dye and rinsing liquids.